Kickstarter of the Week: Shipwrights of the North Sea

When you ask someone what the Vikings are best known for, most everyone will probably tell you shipbuilding. OK, I made that up. But as a seafaring race, I’m guessing they were still pretty good at it. The Vikings and their ships is the theme of our newest Kickstarter of the Week: Shipwrights of the North Sea. Originally I was attracted to the game by its colorful and stylish artwork. However, after flipping through the rulebook, there is also a fun game to be had here. Shipwrights of the North Sea is a game about building the best fleet in the sea using some familiar game mechanics such as card drafting, resource management, and action selection.

From the Kickstarter Page:

Shipwrights of the North Sea is set in the early years of the Viking Age, circa 1000 AD. As Viking shipwrights, players compete to build the greatest fleet on the North Sea. Players must collect oak, wool and iron, as well as getting other craftsmen on board to help. Gold is a precious commodity, and must be spent wisely. As you would expect, the island is filled with an array of characters, bad and worse. Better hope they’re on your side!

The game is played over a series of day (rounds). Each day follows the same pattern:

Morning Phase – Planning (Each player receives 3 cards) Afternoon Phase – Working (Players take actions and play or discard their 3 cards) Evening Phase – Resting (Players receive Gold and Workers for the next day)

The game is being publishing in New Zealand, but getting it across the globe is still surprisingly affordable. This is thanks to both a good price point and being on the favorable side of the exchange rate. If you’d like to become a backer, at $44NZD pledge (about $37 after conversion) will get you a copy of the game and any stretch rewards. Shipwrights of the North Sea is scheduled to be in backers hands in May of 2014. You have until Thursday, March 13th to become a backer, so head over today if you are interested.

Occasionally Board Game Quest receives a review copy of a game from the publisher. This doesn't influence our opinion of the game or its rating.

Our Rating System

5 – Fantastic Game, A must-play game. 4-4.5 – Great Game, might have some minor flaws 3-3.5 – Good Game. Does a lot right, but some weaknesses too 2-2.5 – An OK Game. Some redeeming qualities, but they might be outweighed by the negatives. 1-1.5 – Awful Game. Do not play this unless you want to punish yourself.